International Project Grants Application Instructions

Program Purpose

International Fellowships are intended to provide fellows with the opportunity to develop knowledge and skills that will directly benefit their home countries.

To support the continuation of fellows’ work after they return home, AAUW awards a limited number of International Project Grants to International Fellows who have successfully completed the course of study for which they received an AAUW International Fellowship.

The grants support community-based projects that benefit women and girls in the fellow’s home country.

Applications for AAUW International Project Grants are open August 1–January 15

TO EXPAND

Award Amount

$5,000–7,000

Time Line

January 15, 2018, by 11:59 p.m. Central Time
Deadline for online submission of application and recommendations

April 15, 2018
Notification of decisions e-mailed to applicants. When April 15 falls on a weekend, notifications will be emailed on the next business day. AAUW is not able to honor requests for earlier notification.

July 1, 2018–June 30, 2019
Grant year

Eligibility

To be eligible for an International Project Grant, the applicant must meet the following requirements:

The applicant must have successfully completed an AAUW International Fellowship, all reporting requirements for the fellowship, and the academic program for which they received the fellowship by June 30, 2016.

The applicant must be a citizen of a country other than the United States. Applicants holding dual citizenship in the United States and another country are not eligible.

The project must be implemented in the applicant’s home country and have a direct, positive impact on women and girls.

The applicant must be the primary director of the project and be responsible for the project, with control over programmatic, administrative, fiscal, and editorial decisions.

International Project Grants are not available for the development of written work for academic credit or for research that will be used for a degree thesis or dissertation.

Members and officers of the AAUW Board of Directors are not eligible to apply for fellowships and grant awards. AAUW staff or volunteers with decision-making authority who wish to apply for an award must recuse themselves from the decision-making process.

Criteria for Selection and Application Review

The International Project Grants Panel meets once a year to review applications for funding. Awards are based on the selection criteria outlined here. The panel’s recommendations are subject to final approval by the AAUW Board of Directors. Grants are awarded on a competitive basis according to funds available in a given fiscal year. To ensure a fair and objective review process, AAUW does not comment on the deliberations of the awards panels. Thus, AAUW is unable to provide written or oral evaluations of applications. No provisions exist for reconsideration of grant proposals after the board has acted on the panel’s recommendations.Applications and supporting documents become the sole property of AAUW and will neither be returned nor held for another year.

The following criteria apply to the selection of International Project Grants:

Relevance of the proposed project to the mission of AAUW.

Applicant shows commitment to the social advancement and economic empowerment of women and girls in her home country as demonstrated by her previous work and her proposed project.

Strength of project rationale — the project meets a demonstrable, documented local need.

Clarity and creativity of the project design — the project (1) has clear and specific outcomes, (2) is original and/or innovative in its approach to achieving those outcomes, (3) reflects community/target group participation in the development and design of the project, and (4) is ready for implementation

Sustainability/impact of the project—the project has potential for long-term sustainability beyond the grant period

Proposed project organization is well represented by women in leadership positions and project management.

Feasibility of the project — (1) proposed activities will logically lead to desired outcomes and achievement of goals and (2) the project time frame is realistic

There is adequate support from collaborative organizations and community partners

The project director is qualified to direct the project and the organization has the capacity to carry out the project

There is collaborative support from organizations/community partners

Strength of the evaluation plan — (1) specific evaluation methods are proposed to measure short-term, medium-term, and long-term results; (2) proposed evaluation methods are logical measures of projected outcomes; and (3) resources are adequate to support the proposed evaluation methods

The fiscal resources are adequate to support the achievement of goals—the project director/alumna and, if applicable, project organization have a track record of sound fiscal management of outside resources, the budget is adequate, and the expenses are authorized.

Regulations

International Project Grant funds are available for, but not limited to

Salaries or stipends for primary director, project directors, or permanent positions, or to reimburse employees

Tuition

Educational scholarships, grants, or other payments for students and participants

Personal expenses (shelter, vehicle, insurance)

Building funds, construction, or renovations

Previous expenditures, deficits, or loans (in existence at time of grant award)

Overhead or general operating expenses for any organization or nonprofit organization

Creating or providing grants to other organizations

Entertainment

Travel expenses (unless directly related to project activities)

Copyright or attorney fees

Fundraising activities

Purchase of equipment

With some exceptions based on relevant tax treaties, the fellowship stipend is subject to a 14 percent tax. AAUW will withhold these funds for payment to the U.S. IRS. Successful applicants who are subject to the tax will submit updated budgets to reflect the withholding at the start of the grant year.

AAUW regards the acceptance of a grant as a contract requiring fulfillment of the following terms:

All grant recipients are required to sign a contract accepting the award. Applicants should retain these instructions, as they will become part of the grant contract if the applicant is awarded a grant.

Grant awards are distributed in three equal stipends. Stipend disbursements are made payable to grantees only, not organizations or institutions.

The grantee must be the primary director of the project and be responsible for the project, with control over programmatic, administrative, fiscal, and editorial decisions.

The grantee must live in her home country full time throughout the grant year.

The primary director of the project cannot be paid with International Project Grant funds for work on the project, and the employer cannot be reimbursed.

Projects may be awarded only once. Former applicants may propose new activities for future grants but cannot reapply for the same project for which they received funding in the past.

Grantees must pursue the proposed project during the grant year. The project must be a yearlong project.

Any change in the proposed project must have the prior written approval of AAUW. AAUW must be notified promptly of any changes in the status of an application resulting from acceptance of another award.

Receipt of a grant is contingent upon the successful completion of the AAUW International Fellowship and upon obtaining the degree for which the fellowship was awarded.

Required Components*

Please follow the directions carefully and complete all sections of the application for successful submission. Only complete online applications will be reviewed by the selection panel.

Online Application

Start the application process by clicking on the link to access the application and create an account through our vendor site. Complete all required components in the following tabs.

Eligibility
Applicants must pass the eligibility quiz to be reviewed by the selection panel.

Applicant

Recommendations
Three recommendations are required. AAUW does not accept references from dossier services.They must be from

An individual the applicant was professionally or academically acquainted with during her AAUW fellowship year,

An organization or individual in the applicant’s community who can attest to the applicant’s qualifications and ability to carry out the project as proposed, and

A colleague who is well acquainted with the applicant’s current academic and/or professional work.

AAUW Funding

C.V./résumé

Narratives

Budget

*A certified English translation is required for all documents provided in a foreign language, including transcripts, letters, and diplomas. Translations must bear a mark of certification or official signature that the translation is true and complete.

Tips for Proposal Preparation

Read and follow all guidelines.
Many proposals are disqualified each year because applicants omit a key step in the guidelines or ignore instructions. If the applicant is unsure whether she is qualified to apply, e-mail aauw@applyists.com.

Proofread all work thoroughly.
Proposals that are unclear or contain numerous mistakes distract the reviewer from focusing on the content and reflect poorly on the author’s ability to produce a high-quality product. Check to be sure that sentences are complete, clear, and grammatically correct.

Have someone else read the completed proposal.
An objective reader can often identify areas that need more explanation and may find errors the applicant has overlooked.

Be concise.
Reviewers must read dozens of proposals. Proposals that are clear and concise are more compelling.

Applications for AAUW International Project Grants are open August 1–January 15